Probiotics

Probiotics is a term that means “for life” and defined as “live microorganisms that beneficially affect the host by improving the balance of the intestinal microflora”. It is commonly used to refer to “good” bacteria thatt one has to have in the body in order to maintain a healthy immune system.

There are over 400 different known species of bacteria that inhabit the normal bowel -- excluding viruses, yeasts, and parasites. To put it another way, there are 20 times more bacteria in the body than there are cells AND more than the total number of people that ever lived on Earth. Therefore, having the right kind of bacteria in the gut is very important since the intestinal tract is home to some 100 trillion microorganisms, but only a few of them are friendly.

History
Probiotics was first conceptualized by the Russian Nobel Prize winner and father of modern immunology, Elie Metchnikoff, at the beginning of the 20th century. He believed that the fermenting bacteria in milk products consumed by Bulgarian peasants were responsible for their longevity and good health. Recent research is now catching up with what he already knew. The actual word was first used by Lilly and Stillwell in 1965 as a contrast to the word “antibiotics”. By the 1970s, “probiotics” was being used in the sense that we know it today.

The use of live microorganisms in the diet has a long history and is one of the oldest methods for producing and preserving food. Soured milks and such cultured dairy products as kefir, koumiss, leben, and dahi were often used therapeutically before the existence of microorganisms was recognized. Such dairy products are mentioned in the Bible and the sacred books of Hinduism.

It appears we have come full circle in our progress. The following "History of Medicine" sums up this very well.

We could take this one step farther and add:

"Probiotics will be to medicine in the 21st century what antibiotics and microbiology were in the 20th" (Dr. Michael L. McCann).

Today
Although probiotics are commonly used in Asia and Europe, the Western World remains skeptical, requiring massive studies and legislation. This may not be entirely a bad thing since an independent testing lab found that eight out of 25 probiotic supplements tested contained less than 1% of either the number of live bacteria claimed on the label or the expected minimum of 1 billion.

Much of the world depends upon various fermented foods as dietary staples. The most common fermented foods are kefir, yogurt, tempeh, miso, sauerkraut, and kim chi. Most of Probiotics are bacteria with the most common species being Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. An example of a Probiotic yeast is Saccharomyces boulardii.

Unlike drugs, herbs, vitamins, and minerals, you cannot take too many probiotics and overdose. It took some time for doctors to realize that, when antibiotics were given, they destroyed the beneficial bacteria as well as the harmful, thus making the body more prone to secondary infections. Even with this realization, doctors still have not yet associated the same type of flora destruction with what happens during chemo and steroid therapies. Today, some 20,000 people die every year from untreatable diseases caused by drug-resistant bacteria – and that number is growing alarmingly.

Benefits
Probiotic organisms have several decided health benefits, which include:

Specific Probiotic Bacteria and Conditions
The following clinical probiotic studies have been reported as having beneficial effects:

Consumption
During antibiotic therapy, taking probiotics as well keeps the intestinal flora in proper balance. They can be taken together, but not at the same time of day. In order for the probiotics to be the most effective, they should be taken at least two hours after each dose of antibiotic. When the treatment has been completed, double or triple the probiotic supplements for about ten days or two weeks. Probiotics should be taken with food or shortly after eating as food dilutes the stomach acids enough for them to survive their trip through to the intestines where they belong.

When taking beneficial bacteria or an antimicrobial agent, pathogens begin to die off. This sometimes causes unpleasant side effects known as The Jarisch-Herxheimer Reaction, so named for the German dermatologist who first identified it. As pathogens begin to die, others try to escape by quickly exiting the body. When these microbes appear in large numbers, the exit routes from the body begin to clog -- much like rush hour traffic! It is at this point that the host may begin to experience headaches, bloating, gas, or allergy-type symptoms. Depending on the individual's level of tolerance for these unpleasantries, the dosage of probiotics may have to be reduced until the symptoms subside, and then increased slowly to the maximum recommended. Regardless of first appearances, it is important to realize that this reaction is a positive indication that all is going well.